Hope fades again for a bright new dawn

There are remarkable similarities between Team Cleggeron and Team England. From the post-election/pre-tournament euphoria and the feeling this time things would be different, both quickly regressed with the reintroduction of ancient figures (William Hague/Jamie Carragher) and a reliance on flawed major players (David Laws/Ledley King), undermining the one-sided relationship at the summit (Cameron-Clegg/Capello-Pearce). Having made swingeing cuts (Theo Walcott), ringfenced the NHS/Wayne Rooney and paid vast sums to an elite few (bankers/Premiership players), we were then forced to watch with envy the performance of the Bric economies (Brazil, Russia, India, China) and the Bags (Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain). Dissent from within (Vince Cable/John Terry) was soon crushed, but mass unrest is avoided simply because "at least we're better then Greece"...

Cal Gibson

Nottingham

• Combining the Welsh, Scottish and English to create a stronger team has some merit (Letters, 29 June). But why stop there? An EU team would give anybody a run for their money. And I'm sure England fans would have no problems in travelling to the Bernabéu for home games and singing Alle Menschen werden Brüder before the lads in blue kick off.

Alun Pugh

Welsh sports minister, 2003-07

• Sorry to mention the war, but had Capello et al boned up on the blitzkrieg, they would have known a resourceful, mobile German attacking force will overwhelm a static, flat-footed defence.